Four Steps to Being a Great TaskRabbit Task Poster

Is it time to get organized? Have you come to realize that your life would feel just so much better if you organized your closet / reconciled your medical expenses / got caught up on your filing or data-entering / had someone come in and clean / wait for the delivery guy / BE the delivery guy? If you have an odd job, you can hire a Task Rabbit!

TaskRabbit.com is a service that allows individuals to find help for whatever they want to do. The company requires Task Rabbits to pass video screenings, answering questions about client management, as well as a background check. Task Rabbits have their backgrounds posted, and are encouraged to link to other social media sites, so you have much more information than you would if you were using a site like CraigsList.

This closet was organized by a Task Rabbit while its proprietor enjoyed brunch. Photo credit: Andy Smith. Used under Creative Commons license.

Phrasing your task the right way can make a big difference in your success. Here are some tips:

(1) Assume Task Rabbits are on the site to earn a living, not students working for pocket change. “Rabbits” expect to have a professional relationship with their Task Poster. When you write your post, picture in your mind a professional who is coming to work.

(2)Be clear about what you need to have done, and your expectations for the person doing it. If you want a certain professional background, say what you want. If you have a small budget or have other constraints, say what that is. Specifically, if you need the work done at a specific time and place, be sure to be clear about that.

(3)Pay appropriately. You must pay more than minimum wage, and keep in mind the company takes 20 percent off the top of what the Rabbit is paid. Task Rabbits have to pay our own health insurance and taxes. Most importantly, we might have to get to the client site: That takes time and money. If you have a 20-minute task that you think can be done for $4, think again. It’s going to be an hour worth of commute time, plus commute expenses. Combine tasks, figure out how to allow a Rabbit to do it all online, or just hope you have a Rabbit living next door.

(4) Tell Rabbits what to bid on. We are doing our best to guess how big the “whole job” is, but in order to compare apples to apples, you might want so say, “bid on four hours, and say how long you believe this entire job will take in the comments.” Be sure to pick a number of hours that is the same size or smaller than the total size of the job – there’s no way for a Rabbit to refund you.